What can I buy with a healthy benefits card at Walmart?

You can buy approved over-the-counter (OTC) health products, personal care items, and—depending on your specific insurance plan—eligible healthy groceries at Walmart.

Because allowances depend entirely on your specific Medicare Advantage or health plan provider (such as Wellcare, Humana, or UnitedHealthcare), what is covered on one card might be excluded on another.

Eligible Categories

• Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines: Pain relievers (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen), cold, cough, and flu treatments (like DayQuil), allergy relief, and digestive health aids.
• First Aid & Medical Supplies: Bandages, antiseptic wipes, COVID-19 test kits, and diabetic care items.
• Vitamins & Supplements: Multivitamins, mineral supplements, and targeted wellness or herbal supplements.
• Personal Care & Incontinence: Toothpaste, denture care, incontinence pads, and protective underwear.
• Healthy Groceries (if included in your plan): Fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy products, eggs, bread, canned goods, and bottled water.

Excluded Items

Standard exclusions across nearly all health benefit cards include:

• Alcohol and tobacco
• Pet food
• General merchandise, electronics, or clothing (unless explicitly part of a special utility/allowance card)

How to Shop and Check Eligibility

• Online: Log into Walmart or the Walmart app after linking your Healthy Benefits+ account, where participating items will be clearly labeled as benefit-eligible.
• In-Store: Scan your card or the digital barcode from your benefit app at checkout, and keep a secondary form of payment ready for any non-covered items or bag fees.

Whether you can buy toilet paper with your OTC card depends entirely on your specific health plan.

While traditional Over-the-Counter (OTC) benefits strictly limit spending to health and wellness products (like pain relievers or vitamins), many modern Medicare Advantage plans offer expanded allowances. These are often called "Spendables," "Utility," or "Healthy Grocery" benefits, which may cover everyday household essentials like paper goods.

How to Verify if Your Plan Covers Toilet Paper

Because every insurance provider sets its own rules, you should check your eligibility before heading to the register:

• Check the official app or website: Log in to your plan's portal (such as MyBenefitsCenter, Healthy Benefits Plus, or your specific insurer's app) and search the approved items catalog for "toilet paper" or "household essentials".
• Look for retail badges online: If you have linked your OTC card to an online retailer, look for a specific "OTC eligible" badge next to the product on the Walmart OTC Benefits Page or the Amazon OTC Storefront.
• Scan the barcode in-store: Many plan apps include a barcode scanner. You can use your smartphone to scan the toilet paper packaging while standing in the store aisle to see if it triggers your allowance.
• Call your provider: If you are unsure, call the member services phone number printed on the back of your OTC card to ask what household items are covered.

💡 Shopping Tip

If toilet paper is not covered by your plan, the point-of-sale system will simply exclude it from your OTC balance at checkout. You will just need to provide a backup payment method (like cash, a debit card, or a credit card) to cover the cost of the toilet paper while your OTC card pays for the rest of your eligible health items.

No, you generally cannot buy ice cream with a Healthy Benefits Plus card, as the program focuses on core nutritious foods and typically excludes treats like ice cream and soda.

What is Covered

• Fresh Produce: Fruits and vegetables.
• Dairy Products: Milk, eggs, cheese, and yogurt.
• Pantry Staples: Grains, meats, seafood, and canned goods.

What is Excluded

• Unhealthy Items: Ice cream, candy, and soda.
• Non-Food Items: Tobacco, alcohol, and standard household goods (unless specified under a separate OTC allowance).

Note: Exact rules depend on your specific insurance plan and state guidelines.

Yes, you can sometimes buy laundry detergent with an OTC card, but it completely depends on your specific insurance plan and the type of allowance on your card.

Coverage Rules

• Standard OTC Cards: Traditional Over-the-Counter benefit cards (from Medicare Advantage or Medicaid) usually restrict purchases strictly to health and wellness items like medicine, first-aid, vitamins, and basic personal hygiene. Laundry detergent is often excluded from these basic lists.
• Expanded / Spendables Cards: Some newer or expanded allowance cards (like certain SSBCI, healthy-home, or combined utility/grocery benefit cards, or specific retailer programs) do allow select household cleaning products or everyday essentials.

How to Check Your Eligibility

• Check your plan catalog: Review your current benefit provider's approved product list or catalog.
• Scan in-store: Use a retailer app (like scanning barcodes in the Walmart app) or look for specific store shelf tags (like blue "OTCH Eligible" labels at CVS) to see if a specific detergent qualifies.
• Call customer service: Call the phone number on the back of your insurance or benefit card to ask if household cleaning supplies are included.

Whether you can buy soap and shampoo with an Over-the-Counter (OTC) card depends entirely on your specific insurance provider and plan.

Plan Coverage Details

• Soap: Many Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans cover basic hygiene items like bar soap or body wash, while others restrict purchases strictly to medical products.
• Shampoo: Standard cosmetic shampoos are usually ineligible unless they serve a specific medical purpose, such as a medicated anti-dandruff treatment.

How to Check Your Eligibility

• Check the catalog: Review your plan's approved product list or search the Walgreens OTC Catalog or Walmart OTC Benefit Page.
• Scan items: Use your plan’s mobile app (such as OTC-Anywhere) to scan product barcodes in-store and confirm eligibility.
• Call your provider: Call the phone number listed on the back of your insurance or OTC card to verify what personal care items your specific allowance includes.